- Where are you from (country)?
US
- How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
Google search - propecial side-effects
- What is your current age, height, weight?
29, 5’7", 168 lbs
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
I run and lift weights on a regular basis.
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
I love food, therefore I eat everything. However, I do try to stick with healthy eating. I watch my caloric intake and try to only eat whole grain/vegetable carbs and lean meats.
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
I took it because my hair started thinning around the age of 22 and I wanted to try to do something to prevent my hair loss. I had heard that the combination of Rogaine and Finasteride had been successful in drastically slowing down the hair loss process and even regrew hair in some men. I asked my doctor about Finasteride and he recommended using it alongside Rogaine to combat my hair loss.
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
I took it for less than 1 year but I need to check my medical records for a more specific period of time.
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
I was anywhere from 24-26 years old. Again, I would need to refer to my medical records.
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
I quit in less than a year of the time I was prescribed the drug.
- How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
- What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
I used both Proscar and Propecia.
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
I was taking approximately 1.25 mg/day. When I started with Proscar my doctor prescribed me the 5mg tablets and told me to break each pill into 4 pieces in order to save money.
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
I noticed within the first week of taking the drug.
- What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain)
BRAIN FOG
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I went to a urologist who gave me samples of Viagra but it seemed to not work for me. I couldn’t get aroused so it just gave me a headache and generally made me feel weird. I was apprehensive to take it in the first place since I’m scarred for life when it comes to drugs now. I also went to a psychiatrist who tried to offer me more drugs for depression/anxiety/ADD but I refused to try them since they also seem to have sexual side-effects. Instead, I underwent talk therapy with a shrink for a few months and plan on going back.
- If you have pre or post-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
I had a testosterone levels test done and the results were normal.
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
When things were beginning to look up for me in life, Finasteride came and took everything away.
When I first started taking the drug, the most noticeable side-effect I had was the numb/void feeling in my genitals. It is hard to describe but when I informed my doctor he said that it was a common side-effect. He knew precisely of the “strange” feeling I was referring to. I also began to notice my lack of libido because I stopped masturbating. I used to masturbate 1-3 times a day and I was going on two weeks without even trying. I tried to attribute my lack of masturbation to stress or being occupied with school and work but I was basically lying to myself. When I finally tried to masturbate, I had a difficult time achieving a full erection but was able to finish with a semi-hard penis. This is when I began to worry but I continued to take the drug and tried to make myself masturbate on a daily basis - nonetheless I was having frequent difficulty in doing so. Watching pornography was not getting me aroused the way it used to. It was as if the mechanism that normally made my penis go from 0 to 60 mph in a sec at the sight of naked breasts or whatever was completely shut off. I have heard some people refer to this as “if there were no connection between my brain and my penis.” This could not be more accurate, the connection was no longer there. My sex drive became non-existent.
I quit taking Proscar about 1 month after I began taking it. I wanted out of whatever was happening to me; I told my doctor and he assured me that the side-effects would go away. Shortly after cessation of the drug I did notice a respite from my symptoms. My morning erections returned and I had some sexual desire. However, I still had trouble achieving a full erection. When I tried to masturbate my erections were still rather soft therefore it took me awhile to reach orgasm. Speaking of which, the only side-effect my doctor actually acknowledged was decreased ejaculate. If your doctor told you the only side-effect of the drug you were going to take was decreased ejaculate I am sure most men would not really care. However, if you warn them of even the slightest possibility that they might have erectile problems then no man would take the drug just for a chance to regrow some hair. Anyway, yes my ejaculate was runny and if that were the only side-effect I had to deal with for the rest of my life, I would be a rather happy person.
My respite was short-lived and my symptoms returned full-force. I had no libido, weak erections, no morning/night erections and my penis felt and looked thinner. I also noticed my grades in school were steadily dropping. I could no longer focus in class or when trying to write. I never had this problem. I also felt “flat,” nothing excited me and I had no motivation. This is when I started to do research on the side-effects of Finasteride. I immediately found that people had nearly identical stories as myself. I read that some men noticed that if they cycled the drug then they could manage their symptoms. I was desperate, so I asked the doctor to prescribe me Propecia. I ended up taking Propecia for a few months in hopes that maybe my symptoms would go away but they did not. After a few months of trying to be positive and ignoring the side-effects, I once again quit taking Finasteride.
At this point I fell into a deep depression. My family is the only thing that kept me going and for the first time I turned to them. I told them what I was going through and they were shocked. Most of the time I just wanted to die. I could feel only sadness. I hated everything and didn’t want to do anything. I knew/know I couldn’t kill myself however because it would hurt them tremendously. My parents wanted to do all they could for me so I knew I had to stay. I’m glad I did and I’m glad I’m writing this.
A lot has happened since the time I went to my parents’ room and bawled like a child while revealing to them what was going on with me. I managed to find a girlfriend that did not immediately leave me after I failed at trying to have sex with her for the first time. Consequently, I saw a urologist who repeatedly told me that “it was all in my head” and said I was just experiencing “performance anxiety.” My primary doctor felt it was impossible for me to still have side-effects from the drug and also felt that my perceived erectile dysfunction was “all in my head.” With the changes Merck has been making to the labels for Finasteride, I am 100% certain that everything described above can be blamed on the drug.
Every day is different for me. They can range anywhere from “tolerable” to “utterly intolerable;” but never “fantastic” or “wonderful.” I am capable of achieving and maintaining an erection suitable for intercourse. The quality of my erections are obviously no where near what they were prior to the drug but they are still sufficient. Also, my nocturnal and morning erections for the most part have returned. As is with my normal erections however, they do not last long. No more having to urinate at an angle in the morning. My libido has somewhat returned. I can watch porn and achieve an erection but it doesn’t happen as spontaneously I guess. Brain-fog has been a continuous battle for me. It has only gotten worse. My short-term memory seems to be getting worse as well and I am always forgetting things. I am dreadfully afraid of what might be happening to me mentally. I get lost in conversations and often find myself feeling like an idiot. I feel dumb. I often have to “reach” for words in conversation. These have never been an issue for me and consequently I have been getting rather frustrated and scared. I am underemployed and generally unhappy with my life situation but can’t find the motivation to go out and change that.
I apologize in advance for editing and grammar errors. I am too sleepy to go back and edit.